Wondering if The Ice Road is ok for kids? The Ice Road is rated PG-13 for language and violence. Starring Liam Neeson, it’s like Taken on the ice. Ok, not really, but it’s typical Liam Neeson action. Here’s what parents need to know in this The Ice Road Parents Guide.
The Ice Road Parents Guide on Netflix
After a remote mine collapses in Canada trapping many miners below, Mike (Liam Neeson) volunteers to go on a mission to help save them by driving important materials over frozen ocean waters. The problem is it’s April and the weather is warming up, making the mission extremely dangerous. If he succeeds, he can help save the men while also making a lot of money to buy he and his brother their own rig with no boss. But the weather and the ice aren’t the only dangers he and the crew face.
The Ice Road isn’t your cheery pick-me-up film, but I do always enjoy the Liam Neeson breathy voice and punches to the face of the bad guys. Why is The Ice Road PG-13? There is some profanity as well some disturbing scenes of characters dying.
Language
There are at least 8 uses of sh*t, 4 uses of g-ddamn, a few uses of a**, bit*h, and fu*k. There are also words of Deity like g-d and sweet Jesus. One character calls another a retard a couple of times.
Mature Content
There is some violence and action in The Ice Road including explosions, a mine collapsing, and people dying. There is gun violence as well as fights and people punching each other, people falling off trucks, others getting smashed, etc.
Some of the scenes are gruesome and quite sad, so this may be too much for empathetic kids. Overall it’s a pretty typical action movie.
Some characters mistreat Mike’s brother, Gurty (Marcus Thomas) who suffers from PTSD after serving in Iraq.
Is The Ice Road Appropriate for Kids Under 13?
If your kids have seen other Liam Neeson movies, then this is pretty on par with those. If it’s the first one, then it is a little gloomy. There’s nothing new or earth-shattering cinema with The Ice Road, and even though it’s pretty predictable, my heart was still racing.
The combination of the score with the scenes on the ice versus what’s going with the mine versus what’s going on in the office makes for great tension.
It takes a little while for the film to get moving but once it does, it’s a thriller. Mike and Gurty’s relationship is enjoyable to watch, and it’s like we’re watching a tale of regular humans living life, doing their jobs, until it’s not.
While some of the moves seem outlandish, I did like it more than F9: The Fast Saga, so take that for what it’s worth. The Ice Road wasn’t anything fancy, but it was good enough for me.
